FACTORS INFLUENCING THE CHOICE OF NURSING AS A CAREER AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OREDO AND OVIA NORTH – EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS

ABSTRACT

This is a research on the factors that influence the choice of nursing among secondary school students in Oredo and Ovia North East Local Government Areas. The aim is to assess factors associated with the choice of nursing as a career among secondary school students, to assess the perception of nursing being a lucrative job among secondary school students and to asses the difference between male and female perception of nursing. The significance of the study is that it will be of benefit to nurse educators, policy makers and the society at large. It reinforces the need for holistic guidance and counseling services in secondary schools also it will add to the existing literature on this topic and serve as a reference to other studies. The target population were secondary school students (S.S.S. III) and a descriptive survey research design was used. Simple random sampling was used to select 6 secondary schools in Oredo and Ovia North-East used for the study. The total population was 4021 students. Simple random sampling techniques were used to select 976 SSS III students from the selected schools and they were used for the study. A self-developed questionnaire in 5-point Likert scale with reliability of 0.90 was used for data collection. Results were presented in tables as percentages and means. Findings  showed that several factors influenced the choice of Nursing, the highest influence being that the salary scale for nurses is attractive (mean=4.1).Also Nursing is seen as a prestigious profession (mean=4.0) and the least influential factor is peer group in which friends say my attributes can make a good Nurse (mean=2.2). The basic perception of respondents regarding enrollment of males and females into nursing profession is because there is that people expect nurses to be female (mean=3.75). The decision of choosing nursing as a career does not only depend on one single factor rather it involves the combination and interaction of several factors such as personal, economic, environmental  societal parental or peer group factors. It is therefore recommended that the media should present nursing as a gender neutral profession. Also, career counselors in secondary schools should clearly explain the career opportunities of nursing profession.